Midwestern State

After holding a nine point lead with under 10 minutes to play, the no. 11 Texas A&M University-Commerce football team saw their lead vanish in a flash, and fell to no. 10 Midwestern State by a score of 33-37 Saturday night in Commerce.

What started as a highly touted game ended up living up to the hype, as the score was tied or the lead was flipped a total of seven times in the contest. The Lions (8-3, 6-0 Lone Star Conference) struck first on a 47-yard touchdown pass from Harrison Stewart to Lance Evans. The Mustangs (10-1, 5-1 LSC) gained the lead in the second after Chase Thrasher’s punt was blocked and picked up by Herb Whitehurst for a score. A&M-Commerce struck back with 57 seconds remaining in the half to knot the score at 17 all going into the locker room.

The Lions struck twice to begin the third on touchdown passes to Derrick Macon, and led 30-17 in the third. A Midwestern State touchdown run cut the lead to six, and the field was flipped for the final quarter.

A&M-Commerce pulled out a 15-play, 63-yard drive, but stalled in the red zone, settling for a 25-yard field goal by Kristov Martinez to increase the lead to 33-24 with 9:52 remaining. The Lions looked to be able to take a big chunk out of the clock, but a fumble by Richard Cooper was recovered by the Mustangs. Midwestern wasted no time, as they scored on their first play of the drive, cutting the lead to 33-31.

After a knuckleball kick pinned the Lions inside their own five, things went from bad to worse as Stewart’s pass was intercepted by Harold Willis, who easily walked in for a score, putting the Mustangs ahead 33-37 just 15 seconds apart.

A&M-Commerce tried valiantly to come up with a game-winning drive, but were thwarted on fourth down when Stewart’s pass was tipped and intercepted by Tari Jones, which put the game out of reach.

After a wild 36-35 win over Angelo State in game one of the Lone Star Conference Playoffs, the Texas A&M University-Commerce football team now looks to finish the job on Saturday against Midwestern State in Commerce.

The no. 11 Lions’ (8-2, 6-0 LSC) hopes looked dim last weekend after an early second half Rams touchdown put A&M-Commerce behind by 18 points. However, on the ensuing kickoff, Richard Cooper was back deep for his first kickoff return of the season. Cooper made the most of his chance to shine by returning the kick 88-yards for a score, the first kick return touchdown of his career.

The score seemed to bolster both the Lions offense and their defense, as A&M-Commerce began to put points on the board, while Angelo State quarterback Kyle Washington was beginning to be stifled by Lion defenders. A&M-Commerce finally went ahead on a 25-yard touchdown pass to Lance Evans on fourth down with 7:21 left to play.

That was plenty of time for the Rams, as they began to drive down the field. The drive stalled in the red zone, and it came down to a fourth and 1 at the two yard line. Washington attempted a quarterback sneak, but could not make it across the line. With the ball back in their hands, the Lions sealed the victory with a 50-yard run by Cooper, which allowed A&M-Commerce to run the clock to zero.

Head Coach Colby Carthel admired the way his team played in the second half to grab the win.

“I told them that no one remembers how you start the game, but how you finish it,” Carthel said. “We were able to go out there and make the plays we needed to win the game.”

The no. 8 Texas A&M University-Commerce football team ended Lone Star Conference play with a spotless 6-0 record thanks to a27-14 victory against then-no. 10 Midwestern State University. Head Coach Colby Carthel’s team now heads to Huntsville to face off against no. 8 FCS opponent Sam Houston State on Saturday.

Memorial Stadium will host its third top-25 matchup this season on Saturday when the no. 10 Midwestern State University Mustangs travel to Commerce to square off against the no. 11 Texas A&M University–Commerce in their homecoming game.

The Lions (6-1, 5-0 Lone Star Conference) and Midwestern State (7-0, 4-0 LSC) go into this matchup as the only undefeated teams in conference play, and this game is looking to decide the seeding for the upcoming Lone Star Conference Playoff.

A&M-Commerce is coming off of its fifth win in a row, garnering a 38-20 in Canyon against West Texas A&M (2-4, 1-3 LSC) last Saturday.

In the contest, the Lions found themselves shut out in the first quarter for the first time all season, but regained their form in the second, putting up 21 points and grabbing a lead that they would hold for the rest of the game. Head Coach Colby Carthel was pleased at how his team was able to right the ship in the second quarter.

“The wind was blowing about 20 miles an hour into our faces in the first, and our offense did a good job of chewing up clock.” Carthel said. “But then we got the wind at our backs and were able to really get after them.”

Running back Richard Cooper was business as usual, posting his seventh 100-yard rushing performance of the season in as many games, setting a new school record. Carthel likes the dynamic that Cooper adds to the offense.

“He’s been steady Eddy toting the rock this year.” Carthel said. “Both him and Theo [Wofford] have been tremendous at running the football.”

Cooper and the rest of the Lions will have to be at their best to beat the Mustangs.

The 23rd-ranked Midwestern State Mustangs escaped with a 30-24 win over Texas A&M University-Commerce at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 28.

That’s right, escaped. An A&M-Commerce onside kick attempt in the waning minutes tumbled into the hands of a Midwestern defender, ensuring victory for the visitors. Only then was the outcome decided. Considering how the Lions had played in the fourth quarter, it’s a safe bet the Mustangs were more than a little relieved.